Sevenoaks is changing containers in October 2026. Until then, most homes use weekly black sacks and a reusable recycling bag or clear sacks. From 12 October 2026 most homes get a 180-litre black wheelie bin for rubbish and a 240-litre green-lidded bin for recycling, collected on alternate weeks. Food stays weekly in a black caddy with an orange lid. Garden waste is a paid green bin with a blue lid, collected fortnightly. A few properties, such as flats above shops, stay on sacks and are told their pattern in writing.
Last checked against 7 sources (www.sevenoaks.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black sacks, then a black wheelie bin · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Nappies and sanitary products
Tissues and wet wipes
Pet waste and cat litter
Plastic bags, wrapping and clear film
Polystyrene, bubble wrap and foam packaging
Crockery, ceramics, window glass, perfume bottles and Pyrex
Dust, vacuum contents and cold, bagged ash
Toothbrushes, plastic toys and other non-recyclable plastics
Not in this one
Food waste
Garden waste
Items that go in the recycling bin
Extra sacks or side waste once the wheelie bin service has started
Black sacks, then a black wheelie bin · General waste
Varies by area, so check your address
Black caddy with an orange lid · Food waste
Every week
Green wheelie bin with a blue lid · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Sevenoaks collects food waste every week. Sevenoaks already collects food waste every week, on the same day as general waste and recycling but in a different vehicle, so the caddy may be picked up at a different time. The indoor caddy can be lined with a compostable liner or newspaper, not a plastic bag. Lock the outdoor caddy by putting the handle down. Communal food bins for some blocks are still to come.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. A 240 litre garden bin is £65 a year and a 140-litre bin is £48 a year. An extra bin is £37.50 plus the £65 permit. Sacks, in bundles of 25, are £29, or £1.16 each, and each holds up to 80 litres. The bin service runs for 48 weeks a year, with a four-week break over Christmas and New Year. From 12 October, garden waste is collected on the same day as general waste, and some customers change week. Garden waste sack collections are suspended from 12 to 16 October while wheelie bins are introduced. Subscribed bins are still collected in that week. Put bins or sacks out by 7am.
If the bin or caddy was out in the right place and was not emptied, report it by the end of the next working day. The council checks the crew records and, if it was genuinely missed, returns within three working days. Contaminated, overflowing, late or blocked bins are not emptied. Put bags, bins and caddies out by 7am, and not before 6pm the night before. The food waste page says you can report a missed caddy if it has not been collected by 4pm, provided it was out by 7am, and you must leave it out until it is collected.
Do not fill the new wheelie bins until the service starts. The council is delivering them until Sunday 11 October and says to leave the seals on. The green reusable recycling bags stop being emptied once the wheelie service starts on 12 October. Clear sacks remain for properties that stay on sack collections, and flattened cardboard can still go beside a full recycling bin.
The current recycling bag takes paper, card, cans, cartons, foil, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, but the bag page does not list glass. The wheelie bin page adds glass bottles and jars to the green-lidded bin. Black plastic still goes in the rubbish.
Food waste is already weekly. Line the kitchen caddy with a compostable liner or newspaper. Kent County Council liners are 50p a roll at outlets in the district for a limited pilot. If the food truck has not been by 4pm, and the caddy was out by 7am, you can report a miss, but only if you will leave the caddy out.
Garden bins should be out by 7am, usually on the same day as the rubbish. From 12 October the council aligns garden waste with the general waste week, so some subscribers change week. Sack customers have a one-week pause from 12 to 16 October. Other people's sacks are not collected.
A large item collection takes a maximum of 10 items on the usual waste day: £26 for one item, £31 for two, £42.50 for three to four, and £57 for five to 10. Corner sofas are £31 and white goods are £26. Fridges and freezers are not being collected because of a national issue. Televisions, glass furniture, gas canisters and plasterboard are refused. To change a booking, call 01732 227000. Items go out by 7am and collections run between 7am and 4pm.
Replacement bins normally take up to 10 working days. An extra bin can be asked for if five or more people live in the household or there are medical needs. Crews do not normally come up driveways unless you have an assisted collection.
As of 3 October 2026 the standards page still tells residents to use weekly sacks up to 9 October 2026, and the collection day page says to keep putting everything out every week until 12 October 2026. Use the collection day finder for the first wheelie dates.
Bin questions in Sevenoaks
When do Sevenoaks wheelie bins start?
Alternate weekly collections start from 12 October 2026 for most households. General waste goes in a black wheelie bin one week and recycling in a black bin with a green lid the next. Until 12 October, keep putting black sacks and recycling bags out every week. Food waste stays weekly.
How much is garden waste collection in Sevenoaks?
A 240 litre bin is £65 a year and a 140-litre bin is £48. The service runs for 48 weeks, with a four-week break over Christmas and New Year. Sack collections pause from 12 to 16 October, but subscribed bins are still emptied that week.
How much is a large item collection in Sevenoaks?
Most items cost £26 for one, £31 for two, £42.50 for three to four, and £57 for five to 10. The maximum is 10 items. Corner sofas are £31 and white goods are £26. Put them out by 7am. To change a booking, call 01732 227000.
How do I report a missed Sevenoaks bin?
Report it by the end of the next working day if it was out correctly. The council returns within three working days when the miss was genuine. Bins and caddies go out by 7am, and not before 6pm the evening before.
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